Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo

Yueming Zhuo; Mohajeet Bhuckory; Huakun Li; Junya Hattori; Davis Pham-Howard; David Veysset; Tong Ling; Daniel Palanker

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01798-x

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Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo

Original Articles

- Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 14, Issue 5, Pages: 1459-1468(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
  2.Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
  3.Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
  4.School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
  5.Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
  6.Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
  7.Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore
  8.SERINTU Advanced Ocular Engineering (STANCE) Program, Singapore, Singapore
  9.School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Author bio：
  
  Yueming Zhuo (zym9426@stanford.edu)
  Daniel Palanker (palanker@stanford.edu)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-01798-x
  CLC：
- Received：30 August 2024，
  
  Revised：16 February 2025，
  
  Accepted：18 February 2025，
  
  Published Online：02 April 2025，
  
  Published：31 May 2025
- Accepted：
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Zhuo, Y. M. et al. Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 1459-1468 (2025).
DOI：

Zhuo, Y. M. et al. Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 1459-1468 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01798-x.

摘要

Abstract

Controlling the tissue temperature rise during retinal laser therapy is essential for predictable outcomes

especially at non-damaging settings. We demonstrate a method for determining the temperature rise in the retina using phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (pOCT) in vivo. Measurements based on the thermally induced optical path length changes (ΔOPL) in the retina during a 10-ms laser pulse allow detection of the temperature rise with a precision less than 1 ℃

which is sufficient for calibration of the laser power for patient-specific non-damaging therapy. We observed a significant difference in confinement of the retinal deformations between the normal and the degenerate retina: in wild-type rats

thermal deformations are localized between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the photoreceptors' inner segments (IS)

as opposed to a deep penetration of the deformations into the inner retinal layers in the degenerate retina. This implies the presence of a structural component within healthy photoreceptors that dampens the tissue expansion induced by the laser heating of the RPE and pigmented choroid. We hypothesize that the thin and soft cilium connecting the inner and outer segments (IS

OS) of photoreceptors may absorb the deformations of the OS and thereby preclude the tissue expansion further inward. Striking difference in the confinement of the retinal deformations induced by a laser pulse in healthy and degenerate retina may be used as a biomechanical diagnostic tool for the characterization of photoreceptors degeneration.

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references

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